Drug center worker admits to hiding failed test results

November 07, 2008

LANSING (AP) -- A worker at a drug testing center admitted she accepted payments of cash or pot to conceal evidence of inmates' and suspects' failed drug tests. Amanda Winter, 22, of Lansing, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Grand Rapids federal court to public corruption. Winter worked at Insight Recovery Center, a federal contractor. She admitted taking the payments from convicts and federal defendants to ignore positive preliminary urine tests. The charge carries up to 15 years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Under the plea deal, she agreed to cooperate with investigators, and the sentencing judge will be informed of her cooperation. The Oct. 15 indictment said the agency got a contract in 2005 to take over responsibility and supervise the testing of urine samples from federal employees. Between June 2007 and June 2008, the indictment said Winter took payments from people whose urine samples came up positive on preliminary drug tests in exchange for not reporting the tests. Because she did not report the positive tests, the samples were discarded rather than tested further. Winter also warned some people that they were scheduled to be tested, the indictment said. "Amanda Winter does not have any comment to make to the press at this time with the case still pending," her lawyer, Britt Cobb, said. A request for comment was left with Tom Dreyer, the chief executive of Insight Recovery Center.